New PocketBook InkPad 2 with 8-inch E Ink Screen Released

PocketBook, the ebook reader company most people have never heard of, has released a new 8-inch ebook reader called the PocketBook InkPad 2, the e-reader for successful people (according to the press release).

It’s an updated version of the previous InkPad, of course. The new model has an improved screen, a lighter design, and physical page-turn buttons.

The InkPad looks somewhat similar to the Kindle Oasis with the page buttons situated on one side of the screen with a larger bezel on that side to grip.

The funny thing is the 8-inch InkPad 2 can be purchased and shipped from Germany for slightly less than the Kindle Oasis.

As a commenter recently noted (thanks, Harry), a retailer in Germany has the PocketBook InkPad 2 for sale on eBay for 219 euros.

Since there isn’t a single retailer in North America that sells PocketBook ereaders, eBay is pretty much the only option (that’s why no one has heard of PocketBook, and it’s too bad because the InkPad 2 would be a really good alternative to the Kindle).

As far as features, the InkPad 2 has a frontlight, a capacitive touchscreen, Wi-Fi, it has 4GB of internal storage space, plus a microSD card slot for expansion up to 32GB, and the usual 1GHz processor and 512MB of RAM. It also supports audio and has text-to-speech built-in.

The PocketBook InkPad 2 looks like a very interesting ereader. Too bad PocketBooks aren’t sold in the US anymore. I reviewed a couple different models several years ago and they were quite nice, but they were among the least viewed reviews I’ve ever done.

I think this also comes with the Pocketbook 850’s E-Ink Pearl. I used the Pocketbook 850 and the contrast was poor. With the release of the Kobo Aura One, priced similarly, and with E-Ink Carta 2, this device would need to go below 150 Euros. Even at 150 Euros, it would be better to go more for the Kobo Aura One.

They say the contrast is improved but you’d have to see it in person to know. Personally I’d rather have the page buttons than the waterproofing on the Kobo, but since they don’t sell them on this continent anyway the point is moot. Heck, Kobo barely even sells their ereaders here in the US. I’ll probably end up ordering the Aura One from Chapters in Canada once again. A sorry state of competition these things have become…

But for anyone not living in the EU (eor Germany, which still is in the EU – the Brits not for long, to be sure (2.5 years at most, hehe)), this will be with added work and costs due to import fees, imho.
From importing a few things I strongly suggest to use a service with tracking and also reasonably fast delivery, and if possible also handling of import fees, even if it costs more.

I own this piece, Pocketbook Inkpad 2. About the specs, I can add that there’s been a silent hardware upgrade meanwhile to 8GB internal storage. As for software, it has audio capability with dozens of choices of text-to-speech voices in many languages, to be downloaded and installed from the company website.

The device has a bunch of apps to connect to cloud services, but if you prefer having your e-library onboard, it’s excellent for that (accepts up to 32GB microSD). The inbuilt reader app is decent for both ebooks and pdf files (better than Kobo as far as I have seen in reviews). The font selection onboard is already sufficient, but you can easily sideload more. To add another reading app called Koreader goes without any hassle, no need for rooting or any other warranty-voiding activity.

When you click around the company website in Russian and perhaps other more obscure languages, you can make pleasant discoveries such as more free e-books and dictionaries in those languages. I added some Russian dictionaries this way. All in all, I cannot praise this thing enough.

My Kobo Aura One looks like it has bit the dust after 2 years of use, and speaking of dust, I dusted off my old Pocketbook Pro 602, and fired it up, transferred Fred Vargas’ ‘A Climate of Fear’ and barely a blip in the reading flow. Still holds a charge on the original battery and still has features the new ereaders neglect but it will still be working when I am dead. The Kobo Aura — ?? low battery, plug into charger, frozen screen, nothing works to reboot it and the battery shows a charge of 3.5 volts!!!! So what’s my point — oh yeah, some Pocketbooks on Amazon and I haven’t checked ebay, but really, no one else in North America carries alternatives? What is available here is not all that exciting or reliable from my reading of reviews. That’s all.
Chris